Sonic Babies!
by maicafilms
Summary: Vanilla is the adopted mother of 6 babies(Sonic, Tails, Amy, Knuckles, Rouge, and Shadow) and the biological mother of one. Watch their heart-warming and easygoing adventures, and discover the reason why the babies became orphaned in the first place. Another AU. This is different than my usual stories, but please enjoy!
1. PROLOGUE

PROLOGUE

* * *

On a fateful spring day, Vanilla Rabbit made a life-changing decision.

She was the newly single mother of her 6-month-old baby, Cream. It had been a struggle to adjust to motherhood, waking up at 3 am every day because the baby was crying, having to change diapers almost constantly, having to balance work and childcare.

So you'd think, with all that trouble that accompanied parenthood, that she'd avoid adopting 6 other toddlers that would multiply her stress and work by at least a hundred.

Well, Vanilla was an empathic soul. Seeing the babies who'd all lost their parents and were left orphans pierced her poor heart.

So, one year after the adoption, Vanilla had 7 babies to care for, was a single mom, and was being paid just a little more than minimum wage.

She needed a miracle.


	2. Toddlers Help Out

Sonic was the first awake of his siblings. He blinked the sleep out of his eyes and sat up in the crib he shared with Knuckles, Shadow, and Tails. From the looks of it, the blanket had been completely snatched away from him by the others.

He shivered. "Blanket stealers," He stumbled to his feet and grasped the bars of his prison. "I'm outta here." Just like that, the toddler made like a squirrel and scrambled up the bars.

Wobbling slightly on the stabilizer bar, he scanned his surroundings. The little room was decorated with infantile drawings and floral wallpaper. There were a few holes in the wall, and the hedgehog grinned when he saw them. "I made those."

Across the room was Amy, Rouge, and Cream, who each had an equal amount of blanket and were sleeping peacefully.

So he _was _the first one up.

Sonic jumped(clumsily) of the crib's railing and landed on the carpet below. He steadied himself and sped out the room.

Well, _tried _to speed out the room would be more accurate. He actually ran straight into the door causing a resounding **thud.**

He was sent reeling backward, resulting in him trip over air and tumbling to the floor. "Oof!"

"Sonic?"

Well, there goes being the only one awake.

The hedgehog turned to see bleary blue eyes looking at him quizzically.

It was Tails, whose fluffy namesakes seemed to also just be waking up, as they rose and swayed behind him. "What're y'doing?"

Sonic stiffened. He scrambled to his feet and dusted himself off. "Nothing! So you can go back to sleep, alright?"

Tails seemed to be complying, and Sonic was about to sigh in relief when…

"Is it time to get up already?" Came the lilted voice of Amy Rose. The pinkette yawned and stretched. She smoothed out her nightdress and sat up in her crib.

Sonic began feeling a toddler's equivalent of dread. "Wait, Amy, it's not-"

Another yawn interrupted him. Knuckles was up to, glaring at the wall. "I was havin' a good dream."

The chain reaction continued, and soon Rouge and Shadow were up as well. Shadow had a stoic expression as his crimson eyes swept the room.

Rouge had a much more dramatic awakening. She yawned widely and flexed her little wings. "Good morning, everyone! Except Knuckles."

"Hey! Stupid Rouge!"

To conclude the chain, a loud wail resounded throughout the house. Cream had awoken and was tugging at her ears while crying rather intensely.

Before anyone could make a move to comfort her, the door swung open.

The toddlers' attention switched to the new arrival: Vanilla.

The rabbit was still in her nightdress. Her fur was tousled and there were bags under her eyes. "Cream?"

She awaited no explanation and rushed to her baby, scooping her up and gently rocking her. "Hush now, Mommy's here. You're fine."

Cream's wails faded into sniffles and hiccups. She buried her face in her mom's chest.

Satisfied with her comforting, Vanilla addressed the five wide-eyed(and one unbothered) children. "You're up early," she offered a smile. "How about you help set up breakfast?"

There was a unanimous "Yes, miss" and the toddlers followed their caretaker out the nursery.

* * *

It is not entirely clear what Vanilla was expecting when she asked the toddler to aid her in the kitchen, though it is clear that her expectations were much too high.

At first, everyone was participating. Sonic and Tails were gathering the plates using their speed and flight respectively. Shadow and Knuckles were transporting ingredients, the former utilizing teleportation and the latter strength. Amy and Rouge were setting the table, and, though they weren't exercising any abilities, it was a very important job.

Just when Vanilla thought that breakfast preparation would go smoothly, things went wrong.

Sonic had a lapse in judgment and tripped while running with a couple of plates. A loud **crash **followed. The hedgehog and fallen to the floor as well, with the slightest hint of tears in his eyes.

Tails had witnessed this and hurried to help the hedgehog up and...tripped on an unfortunate puddle of sink water.

Amy gasped when she saw Sonic fall her eyes feeling with tears. "Oh no!" Tears streamed down her flushed cheeks as she attempted to run towards her 'soulmate', but she was intercepted by Rouge.

"Stay out of it, pinky! Vanilla's helping them." She gestured towards the rabbit who was hurriedly approaching the two toddlers. "Let's get back to work."

"No! I have to save my Sonic!" Amy tried to slip past the bat, but she was easily blocked.

"You're jus gonna cause problems!"

"Stop bein' a meanie!"

Meanwhile, Knuckles(unaware of the growing chaos) was hauling a bag of flour to the kitchen. The bag was the size of his head, and since he was holding it in front of him, it obscured his sight.

Shadow had just retrieved the sugar from the pantry and was teleporting into the kitchen

Expectedly, the two entered at the exact same time, which caused a rather fatal collision.

The flour bag went flying into the air, it's contents spilling out like rain onto the poor toddler below it.

Shadow's pitch black fur and Knuckles red dreads were showered with the powdery substance.

There was no exchange of words between the two toddlers. The only thing exchanged were a couple of murderous glances and Knuckles' battlecry.

Cream watched everything from her highchair, her bottom lip quivering. Though she couldn't understand the specifics of what was unraveling before her, she knew one thing…

Hell had broken in the Rabbit household.

* * *

Clean-up was done by Vanilla, who had learned an important lesson: toddlers and kitchens do not mix.

Tails and Sonic sported matching Chao themed band aids and were paying blocks in the playpen. Amy and Rouge distanced themselves from each other: Amy was coloring at the dining table with Cream while Rouge browsing pictures of jewels in a magazine.

Knuckles and Shadow were cleaning up in the bathroom, scrubbing the flour out their fur was washing their bruises.

Yes, it was a normal day in the life of Vanilla.

Even as she swept up the shards of glass and particles of flower from her hardwood kitchen floor, she found herself smiling.

When clean-up was complete, everyone was gathered at the table. They apologized with varying degrees of sincerity, then proceeded to eat breakfast. Pancakes and bacon.

Despite the stains, the scrabbles, the crying, the cuts, and even the shattered plates, the rabbit couldn't snuff the happiness she felt as everyone dug into their food.

Her life was a hectic mess, no doubt about it. A restless mess of toddlers and stress. But...somehow…

She was completely fine with it.

"_I wouldn't have things any other way." _


	3. Toddlers' Question Time

"Miss Vanilla?"

The rabbit hummed in response not looking up from her work. She could tell it was Amy from the lilt in the words.

"Why's the sky blue?"

Uh oh. It was this time of day already?

Vanilla glanced up at the ceiling. She sifted through her mind for an explanation deep enough to satisfy a 3-year-old, yet simple enough so that a 3-year-old can understand.

Sucking in a breath, she turned to the little hedgehog with a smile. Then hesitated.

Amy's round, expectant eyes were glued to the rabbit, her hands clasped in front of her. She reciprocated Vanilla's smile, though hers was lacking a few teeth.

"Um...well. It's quite simple, really. Blue light is-"

"I know!" The newcomer to the conversation was Sonic, whose pointer finger was extended in a 'let me tell you' position. He gestured towards himself. "Jus like Miss said, is real easy! The sky's blue cause a me!"

Amy gawked. "R-really?"

"Yuh-huh. Me an' the sky are buds, y'know. So we decided to match!" The hedgie flashed a self-satisfied grin and crossed his arms.

Amy gazed at him as if he was the second coming of Chaos, while Vanilla was debating whether or not to call him on his bluff.

Luckily, someone else made the choice for her. "He's lying."

All eyes went to Shadow. The dark-furred hedgie was bandaged from his earlier scrabble with Knuckles. He was glaring 300 degree daggers at Sonic. "You can't speak to the sky. The sky is blue for another reason." His voice was rather deep for a toddler, and his curt tone left Sonic sputtering.

The blue hedgehog pouted. "If you're sayin' that, then what's your treason for the sky being blue?"

"It's _reason_, Sonic." Vanilla left her interjection at that. She wanted to see how Shadow responded.

It was quiet for a second. The black-furred toddler's crimson eyes darted from side to side as he bit his bottom lip.

Then, a lightbulb flickered on above the hedgehog's head. "The fox. He reads science stuff."

The fox in question was playing with Knuckles in the playpen. They were building a prison to conceal the echidna's emerald plushie.

Sonic's eyes sparkled at the recommendation. Tails was _his _little buddy after all. Of _course_ he'd side with him! "Tails! We have a question!"

The little fox's ears perked. He set down the block he was holding and hurried over to Sonic.

"We have a problem," Amy approached the two-tail and motioned towards the two other hedgehogs, who were both smirking. "D'y'know why's the sky blue?" Personally, the pinkette was with Sonic. He was always right after all! But Tails did read a lot, so maybe his reason would matter to.

Tails blinked. He looked between the rivals. Judging from his nervous expression, he was conflicted. Side with Sonic, or side with logic.

"Um…"

"C'mon! Tell 'im that it's cuz me an' the sky are buds!"

"Don't listen to that. You know that's not true."

The kit began to sweat. "Well…"

"Enough!"

Once again, the conversation was intercepted...This time, by a certain bat. Rouge had her hands on her hips and was tapping her foot. "You're all stupid. _I _know why the sky's blue."

The four other toddlers looked at her. "You do?" They chorused.

"Of course. The sky's blue cuz space is blue, and the sky is just space but wit clouds."

Vanilla lowered a brow at that. That wasn't the most ethical response, but it might've been the perfect answer to the equation. Deep but simple.

The other tots seemed to agree. Amy hummed at the new information than wandered off, already over it.

Sonic gaped. He was wounded by his loss and sulked off with a dimmed pride.

Shadow was pleased that he defeated Sonic, though he questioned it a little bit.

Tails had similar sentiments to Shadow, not really buying the explanation, but suppressed it to go and comfort his big bro.

Thus, Vanilla was freed from question time and could return to her taxes. Thank Chaos…

That's when she felt someone tugging at her gown. She looked to see a curious pair of violet eyes scrutinizing her. It was Knuckles.

"Miss, where do clouds come from?"

"_Dear Chaos, why me?"_


	4. Toddlers Make Up

Knuckles yawned. He rubbed at his eyes before opening them to his surroundings. Judging from the pastel floral walls, he was back in the nursery. He was in the crib he shared with the other boys.

The echidna grunted, wriggling out of the soft blanket. Picking up his emerald plushie, he climbed down the crib's bars and landed noiselessly on the carpet. He hugged the emerald to his chest and ventured out the nursery(the door was open this time).

"Why d'ya always bring that stuffy 'round?"

"Ah!" Knuckles almost tripped backwards at the voice. After regaining his balance, he faced the source of the distraction, although he had a feeling he knew who it was….

He glared at Rouge. "Stupid bat. Weren' you asleep?"

"Hmph!" She turned her nose to him as if he was trash. Her wings flapped as a dismissal as she walked past the red-head. "What a baby,"

"H-hey! M'not a baby! Stupid Rouge."

"Really?" The bat glanced back at her rival, grinning. "Then throw out that silly stuffy!"

...What?

Knuckles was frozen for a solid 5 seconds as he replayed Rouge's words in his head. As the meaning unraveled, his muzzle paled. "Throw...out...my emre'ald?"

Rouge nodded smugly.

Thus, started a new dilemma in Rabbit household.

* * *

"Knuckles, honey, are you alright?" Vanilla gently nudged the toddler, whose eyes displayed nothing short of despair. "You've been knitting your brows all evening."

Naptime had ended, and the toddlers were having lunch. Well, the majority of the toddlers were having lunch.

Sonic tilted his head at the spaced out echidna. "Knux? You's good?"

The redhead grunted in response.

"Oh! I know why Knwuckles is upset! He's got codstipasion!" Amy said, kicking her feet under the table.

Vanilla blinked. "Pardon?"

"Codstipation! When you gots to poop really long."

There was a moment of realization, then various "Oh"s and "I know that"s. Cream babbled "Aboo!" and Vanilla was blushing madly.

"Amy, we don't talk about that at the table. And I'm sure Knuckle' is not const-"

"Ooh, I know constipation!" Tails interjected this time, his namesakes wagging. "Is when you burn the body after-"

"NO!" Vanilla clapped her hands loudly. "No, that's cremation. We also do not talk about that at the dinner table!"

For some reason, after the rabbit said that, Shadow gained an introspective look on his face. "He looks like he's just remembered something…"

Quelling her suspicion for a second, she switched her attention back to Knuckles. "Okay, Knuckles. Whenever you feel like talking about it, I'm always ready to listen."

"I…" He swallowed. "I...threw it away."

Sonic's ears perked. "Threw what 'way?"

"My...emerl."

The room plummeted into silence, everybody's eyes(yes, even Shadow's) widening.

Rouge however, reacted the most. Her wings stiffened, her already pale complexion losing colour.

Amy gasped. "Your emeral?!"

Sonic's forehead creased. "Buh...ya always bring it around!"

Shadow frowned. "Why'd you do that?"

Knuckles responded to the group with a sigh, staring into his lap. "Cuz...M'not a baby. So I," He winced. "I don't need it anymore."

Vanilla lowered a brow at that. She looked at Rouge, whose mouth was slightly agape and whose eyes were dilated. Once again, suspicion brewed in the motherly rabbit.

* * *

"Rouge, dear, could we talk for a moment?"

The one addressed went rigid. She hesitated before nodding.

The rabbit led the toddler into the hallway, glancing back to ensure none of the others had followed her.

She faced her suspect.

The toddler was fumbling with her hands, lips pursed. "Yes, miss?" She purposefully rose the pitch of her voice, maybe to sound more innocent.

"Did you happen to…" Careful, depending on what you say, she might lie to you. "Talk to Knuckles about his plush?"

Rouge bit her lip. "M-maybe."

"Different approach,"

"What do you think of plushies, honey?"

Balancing on her heels, the bat averted her eyes. "There...for babies."

"Bingo."

The rabbit hummed, nodding. "What makes you think that? Would it be wrong for me to have a plushie?"

"Well..I...my…" Rouge tugged at the cuffs of her gloves. "My momma said so!"

A moment passed. Vanilla stared, her heart beating loudly in her chest.

"...Sh-she said that, an' she took 'way my plushie. An'...she said...I gotta be big girl…" The girl's shoulders began to shake. "Mommaaaa…."

Then, for the first time, a tear rolled down Rouge's cheek. Then another. Then another.

The rabbit pulled the girl into a hug, allowing her to cry into her blouse. Immediately, the spot dampened.

"Hush, it's alright...it's all going to be okay…"

"M-momma…"

"Rouge...Your momma, what she told you, you can believe all you'd like. But Knuckles' plushie, it means alot to him to. It's something his momma gave him as well."

Rouge hiccuped. "..."

"So, it's your choice, but I think we should go apologize now, don't you agree?"

A few sniffles. Then a nod.

* * *

"So...m'sorry."

Knuckles seemed to be frozen in place for a second time. He struggled to get words out his mouth. "Is...is okay."

The echidna looked up at the bat, noticing her bloodshot eyes. He paused briefly...then hugged her.

Rouge went stiff at first, then hugged back. "Thank you,"

Vanilla observed the scene. She quickly rubbed the wetness out her eyes.

"No matter what, I'll never be able to replace their parents…"


	5. Toddlers Play House (1)

"Let's play house! I be the mommy!"

Amy's words fell on mostly deaf ears, as the other toddlers were off in their own worlds. She pouted, stamping her foot. "Hey! Listen to me!"

This time, she elicited a reaction. Just not the one she wanted. "Be quiet, Amy! We're busy here." It was Sonic. He, Tails, and Knuckles were gathered in a circle around a battered baby doll.

The pinkette frowned. She approached the boys, glancing at the doll. "What're you doin'?"

Knuckles smirked in such a way that sent chills down the girl's spine. "A ridual." He said, his accomplices nodding in confirmation.

Pursing her lips, Amy probed the foreign word. 'Ritual'...

Actually, it was a bit familiar. She swore she'd heard it before…

Oh! "Thas not good! Miss said notta do that anymore!" Yes, that was where she heard it. On that creepy summer night, when Miss Vanilla accidentally left the T.V on a horror movie!

The guys on the T.V were all surrounding a button eyed doll. They were chanting weird stuff that made about as much sense at Cream's babbling. They called it a 'satanic ritual'.

After watching the movie, the toddlers reenacted the ritual, but were stopped by Vanilla.

Sonic stuck his tongue out. "Whatever! We're still doin' it. If ya don' like it, then go play somewhere else!"

Just like that, a metaphorical arrow pierced the pinkette's heart. She stood there for a second, jaw dropped. Sonic, her hero, had said such a heartless thing to her?

But shock didn't last long in the three-year-old's heart. No, it was replaced by something much more powerful...and terrifying.

"FINE!"

The foundation of the rabbit household trembled as Amy's enraged yell echoed throughout the neighborhood. "I'LL GO AN' FIND SOMEONE ELSE T'PLAY WITH!" She began stomping away, but turned back to glare. "STUPID SONIC!"

Meanwhile, dozing peacefully on the other side of the living room was 9 month-old Cream. She was resting against a colourful rainbow cushion. Unlike the older tots, the little rabbit naptime wasn't contained to a couple hours. She slept however long she liked, and was usually unbothered…

Well, usually.

"Creamy! Hey, Creamy. You godda get up now."

The baby's eyes fluttered open, and she was met with the sight of Amy's embittered face.

"Bah?"

The hedgehog smiled, sitting up and folding her hands neatly in her lap. "Good morning! Were gonna play house, okay?"

Cream simply blinked. The pinkette took it as a yes.

She reached behind her and revealed a wooden cooking set. There was a rolling pin, a wooden spoon, a colander, a mixing bowl. To complete it, Amy was clad in a polkadot apron. "I'm the mommy. You're the daddy. Pretend you jus' got home from work."

While this might be unsurprising, the bunny hadn't the slightest idea what was going on. She stared at the toddler with a dull look before yawning.

"Wow, you're a good actor! The daddy would be tired after workin'." Amy giggled. "Kay, now m'gonna make some dinner!"

Thus, 'dinner' was prepared by Amy while Cream gnawed on the wooden rolling pin. The hedgehog hurriedly took the pin away. "Bad girl! The daddy isn' 'posed to eat the utensils!"

The little rabbit tilted her head. "Usensuls?"

A nod. "That's right! Now, wait t'il m'done."

Once the pretend dinner was finished, the pretend mommy and daddy happily pretend ate together.

Deep down, Amy knew Cream couldn't completely understand the game. She also could tell the bunny was trying her best.

It made the hedgehog happy. It was nice to have someone who liked to play her games.

By the end of the day, two other things happened.

Vanilla found about the boys playing the 'ritual game'.

Vanilla just barely stopped Cream from swallowing a wooden apple.

"_Even playtime's a warzone in this house…"_

Hi, everyone! Thank you for reading this far into my story. Thank you for your support and reviews, it's really helped me.

To keep this story going, I'd like to incorporate your ideas. If you have any requests for future chapters, go ahead!

You can tell me what character interaction you'd like to see, events you'd like to see, places you'd like to see, etc.

Maybe, you can even tell me characters you'd like added.

Any ideas you have are welcome.

Thank you for your support.


	6. Toddlers Dress Up

It was a new day in the rabbit household. The sun was shining particularly bright, the birds were chirping obnoxiously loud, and Vanilla was eager to get the tots out of the house.

"Alright everyone, who's ready to go to the park?"

A chorus of "_me_"s followed from the toddlers, excluding Shadow. He stiffened at the word, blinking.

It reminded Vanilla of when Tails had brought up cremation the day prior, and how the hedgehog seemed to remember something.

The rabbit spared him a concerned glance before addressing the others. "Well, let's get dressed then."

She led them upstairs and into the nursery.

"Miss," Rouge said just as the rabbit was opening the dresser, "M'gonna pick out my own clothes."

"Oh. Okay, I'll just-"

"Imma pick out my clothes too!" It was Sonic this time. He dashed towards the dresser and pulled one of the drawers open, exploring the assortment of clothes.

Amy, who was over what happened the day before, followed in her hero's footsteps. "Me too!"

Vanilla smiled at the three. "Wow, you're growing so fast!" She stepped aside, allowing them access to the dresser. "I guess there's no harm in it."

Inwardly, the mother was intrigued. The kids all had their own unique sense of style. It'd be interesting to see what outfits they picked.

"Just come downstairs when you're finished, alright?"

"Kay!"

With that, the rabbit exited the room, the door shutting behind her.

A glint shone in Sonic's emerald eyes. He gazed at all the different options he had, the variations of shirts and pants and onesies! He was truly all-powerful!

Tails wasn't as excited by the various possibilities. He tugged on the speedster's pajama top. "Uh, Sonic? Are we 'posed t'pick out our clothes too?" He gestured to himself, Knuckles, and Shadow, all who didn't volunteer to pick out their outfits.

"If ya don' wanna, I can pick out yours for you!" Sonic gave his signature thumbs up.

Both Shadow and Knuckles glared at him. "No."

"Yeesh. Meanies."

A frown graced the black hedgehog's muzzle. He sifted through the clothes that were in the drawers, eyebrows knitted.

He'd done something similar to this before, he knew he had! But his memory failed him. The only thing he remembered was someone else who did it with him, who always chose blue dresses.

Thus, the toddler's attention was dragged to a similar garment; Rouge's bright blue pouf dress.

Meanwhile, the others had just completed their outfits.

Rouge had selected her heart leggings and a matching blouse.

Amy carefully picked a floral romper, which would've been great if it weren't for the mustard stains at the back.

Knuckles wasn't a very fashionable toddler, so he decided he'd just keep on his pajamas. "They're not dirty" was his argument.

Sonic and Tails chose their matching Chao onesies.

The now clothed toddlers exited the nursery, pleased with their verdicts. Shadow was still changing, however.

Vanilla was...enlightened by their wardrobe choices. "_I'm not sure if my expectations were too high or simply accurate._" She nodded at the tots, feigning fascination. "Interesting choices."

"Yup! Tol' you I could pick my own!" Sonic flexed, demonstrating his outfit. Tails had begun to realize that letting the hedgehog chose for him was a mistake.

The rabbit was about to go and get Cream so that they could head out, when she realized something was missing…

"Where's Shadow?"

"..."

All eyes were drawn to the staircase. A certain someone was struggling to get down it. It made sense, seeing as he was wearing a dress.

Vanilla blinked, very slowly.

Shadow was in a blue, full-length dress. He had his characteristic monotone expression, climbing down the stairs.

"_Out of all of them," _Vanilla thought, coughing to mask her laughter, "_I think I expected Shadow's outfit the least…_"

* * *

Hello, readers. Thank you for your reviews and suggestions. The next chapter will feature one of the suggested characters.

I'll give you guys the name of the next chapter: 'Toddlers At The Park'.

If you have any ideas for this chapter, please share them with me! Once again, thank you.


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